Download Topic: Preventing Infectious Disease immunity active immunity

Name:____________________
Key Terms
immunity
active immunity
vaccination
vaccine
antibiotic
passive immunity
Topic: Preventing Infectious Disease
Date:__________
pp. 154­158
• What is active immunity?
Immunity is the body's ability to destroy pathogens before they can cause disease. Active Immunity is the body's ability to fight disease through antibodies which were produced by the body itself. Examples of active immunity include your own antibodies that were produced as a result of exposure to a pathogen as well as being vaccinated.
• How does the immune response work?
If you are exposed to a disease such as chickenpox, your body produced antibodies to fight the disease. In addition, if you are exposed to it a 2nd time, your immune system has a "memory" of the pathogen's antigen, and therefore the immune response happens much quicker where the pathogen does not get a chance to damage any cells.
• How do vaccinations work?
A vaccination or immunization is the process by which harmless antigens are deliberately introduced into a person's body to produce active immunity. The substance used in a vaccination is a vaccine, which is dead or weakened pathogens that still can cause the immune system to produce antibodies, but not enough to get you sick.
• What do you do when you get sick?
When you are sick, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, which is a chemical that kills bacteria or slows their growth without harming body cells. This is only effective against bacteria and not viruses.
• What is passive immunity?
Passive Immunity results when antibodies are given to a person­ the person's immune system does not actually make them. One example of passive immunity is when a mother passes antibodies on to their child during pregnancy. Another example is if you were bitten by an animal infected with rabies, you can be given an injection of antibodies for the rabies antigen.